b'L ike so many social butterflies, Bobs datebook almostbecame obsolete at the start of the pandemic, were it not forthe creative efforts of his resourceful human, Linda.Dogs thrive on having a purpose, even if that purposeis laying on the couch, waiting for the return of their per-son. The couch dogs purpose is no less important thananother dogs need to retrieve the ball for his ever-loving-ball-throwing human.Bobspurposeishumaninteraction.Heknowsjustwhenpeoplerequirehispresence,andwhenenoughisenough (which is never, as far as Bob is concerned). Moreon Bobs debonair personality in just a moment.First, a bit about Bobs strong lineage, which preparedhim to be a service dog.Southeastern Guide Dogs (SEGD)is where Linda Hunt was first introduced to Bob when hewas just a 13-week-old puppy.A superhero in the makingis how he was described. ThiseffervescentpuppywonoverLinda,whothenvolunteered to become a Puppy Raiser for the organization.Bobbecameherfirstcharge.Typically,SEGDpuppiesbegin their home experience at around 10 weeks old. They Withthehelpof Sport, Lindastherapydogattheeventually return to the organization between 12 and 16 time, Bob was doing very well with his training, and hismonths for formal training. future as a guide dog looked promising. He had a strongdesire to please. After a little more than a year of workingtogether, Linda felt things were falling into place. When thetime came to return Bob to SEGD, Linda knew he was des-tined to help someone gain hope, their dignity, and inde-pendence all because of a service dog like Bob. Still, she saidit was the hardest day of her life. She thought her heartwould break, and at the same time, she was so proud of allthey had accomplished together.Alldogsaredestinedforgreatthings,butnotallSoutheastern Guide Dogs are destined to become servicedogs. After weeks of formal training and tests, SEGD calledLinda to let her know that Bob was going to be releasedfrom their program. As a puppy raiser, she was given anopportunity to adopt him. While her heart was doing ahappy dance, Linda wondered how she may have failedBob. She was reassured by SEGD that no one had failed atanything. Their reunion was like a scene from a movie. Therewerelotsofkissesandhugs.WhenBobjumpedintoLindas arms, tail wagging non-stop, she knew in an instantthat Bob would make a fantastic therapy dog. One weeklater,BobpassedhisTherapyDogtestandsoonafterbecame a member of the Alliance of Therapy Dogs. Their volunteer work began about a year before thepandemic and included visits to hospitals, nursing homes,rehab centers, and schools. Bob and Linda also made visitsto patients in hospice care.Continued on the following page gwww.TheNewBarker.com THE NEW BARKER 27'